


It's Called Dancing, My Beloved Mage

by puffinmuffin13



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, F/F, F/M, How Do I Tag, I'm Sorry, Implied Relationships, Inspired by Music, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tags Are Hard
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2018-07-27
Packaged: 2019-04-17 04:32:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 10,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14180685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/puffinmuffin13/pseuds/puffinmuffin13
Summary: I have no idea how to tag correctly, and will probably edit both the work and this summary. Some things aren't tagged to avoid spoiling things in the story. Rated T to be safe.+++"Kokichi! If you had competed in more competitions you could have been the Ultimate  - um... Whatever kind of dancer you are, you idiot!""Personally I like to think it's hard dancing - though I'm not really sure - and who's to say that's not my real talent?"





	1. Little Slips of Paper

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy this heck of a thing I was considering not posting for a while cause I hate showing things when they're not at least halfway done (the only reason you're seeing this now is cause I wanted to contribute to my The OTP).
> 
> Quick note: It's rated teen now just to be safe.
> 
> Also, *yes* I use asterisks when showing thought, as I post and read on Ao3 on my phone. Also, this work will probably go through edits, even after I post. I apologize for any inconveniences, but I also want you to know that's how it's going to be.

"Alright, class! Listen up, because today we're going to be preparing for the dance show next month!" Himiko perked up, slightly more excited than she had been... literally all week. She could give her all at the dance show, she was sure! All she would have to do is configure some magic with spinning and some other moves and -

"Now, here I have a bowl with slips of paper with everyone's name in it! I'll pull out a name, and you'll have to prepare a dance for you two to dance at the show! Sound fun?" Oh. Oh, no.

Himiko glanced around at her classmates. She knew the stakes - in fact, everyone did. Tenko would be great, and possibly Angie as well. Korekiyo might know some good dances from foreign lands, but he didn't seem like he would be a good partner. Shuichi, Kiibo and Gonta would probably freeze up onstage... Oh, to heck with it. The class was extremely limited with those who had ever gone on stage, let alone danced. At least, as far as she knew.

"Let's see... Okay, then! Tenko, please come on up!" Tenko leapt up from her chair. "Miss Chisa! Please tell Tenko she doesn't have to dance with a degenerate!"

Miss Chisa let out a soft laugh. "I'm sorry, Tenko. You have to dance with whoever you get. However, your dance doesn't have to be something where you hold hands or anything with your partner. Some simple choreography will do."

Tenko huffed, obviously still displeased but unwilling to argue with Miss Chisa. "Fine! Tenko will do that, because Tenko is not a degenerate male!" And with that Tenko leaned over and plucked a name from the bowl. Her face grew red. "K-Kirumi. Will you do Tenko the honor of being her partner?"

"If that is what you request, very well." Kirumi said, and Miss Chisa smiled and clapped her hands. "Very good! Now, let's pick the next pair."

Miss Chisa plucked another name from the bowl and held it up. "Kaito!"

Kaito got up and nervously took a name from the bowl. "Oh - Maki! Looks like we're partners!"

"Great," Maki muttered, though a smile kept sneaking onto her face.

Himiko yawned in nervousness. So far her friends had been lucky with their partners, but surely someone would get the short end of the stick.

Speaking of, Gonta and Ryoma were partners? That would be fun to watch.

"Kokichi!" Kokichi shot up from his chair, excitement clear in his eyes. He strutted up to the bowl, and made a grand show of picking a name from those remaining.

Then Himiko's magic gave her a realization. She slumped lower in her chair.

"Himiko!" Tenko looked outraged. Korekiyo looked interested. Most of the others looked sympathetic.

Kokichi skipped back to his chair as Himiko sat back up and rested her head on her desk in despair. As he passed, he dropped a note on her desk that read, "Nishishi! Don't worry partner, I've got this covered!"

*But that's a lie, isn't it?* Himiko groaned. *Neither of us have any idea what we're doing.*


	2. Somersaults and Song Lyrics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm bad at summaries so here just read it.

"Alright, Himiko! Meet me at the school gates at six sharp! Don't be late, or I'll send my subordinates after you! Nishishi!" Himiko watched as Kokichi skipped off, turning to Tenko once he was out of sight. "Tenko, help me... I can't *stand* Kokichi!"

"Tenko is sorry! Miss Chisa said we can't switch partners, but if that degenerate male makes one wrong move, tell Tenko and she will throw him across the room!"

Himiko sighed. "Nyeh...okay." She lifted her arms to the taller girl. "Carry me?"

"Of course!" Tenko lifted Himiko and let her piggyback all the way to the girls' dorms. "Himiko will be fine by herself, right? Tenko must go talk with Kirumi about their dance!"

Himiko made an unintelligible noise of acceptance. "Great! Tenko will be back soon!" And with that Tenko ran off, leaving Himiko in front of their combined dorm room. Sighing, Himiko went in.

Their dorm was pretty large, with two desks against the back wall and one large window on the same wall. Himiko's bed, which Himiko tossed her hat onto, was sideways against the wall while Tenko's bed was in the middle of the right wall, facing the room and the small TV provided for students as of last year.

Beautiful paintings - gifts from Angie - adorned the walls and brightened Himiko's mood, though it was only slightly. Himiko gave a combination of a sigh and groan as she plopped down her desk, wanting to complete her homework before Tenko came back and insisted on fangirling over Kirumi - or six came around and Kokichi burst in to bug her about not showing up on time.

Himiko finished with eleven minutes til six. Remembering Kokichi's words, she chewed her lip. She could just not go, but then he would probably send Tsumugi or Miu to come get her. Picking up her hat, Himiko left the dorms and trudged towards the main building.

"There you are, you slowpoke! Now, c'mon! We've got a lot of training to do!" Kokichi grabbed her arm and dragged Himiko off, not letting her feet get a single moment of rest.

"Nyeh! ...Where are we going?" Himiko struggled to get back on her feet and walk normally. "Why, to the gym my organization took over, obviously!"

Himiko finally shook Kokichi off and drew level with him. "What gym? You don't have a gym, do you?"

"Uh, what kind of evil supreme leader would I be if I didn't take over at least one gym? Jeez!" Kokichi rolled his eyes, then perked up. "Aha! Heeeere we are!"

Himiko stared at the building. It was a two-story, and a plain one at that. However, the open doorway intrigued her. Who just leaves their doors open like that? Especially on a slightly unused street such as this... "This is the 'gym' you own? Nyeh, I don't buy it Kokichi. Besides, it's too much of a pain to work with someone else for the show, so..." Himiko tried to inch away.

"How rude! I even asked the owner if we could practice for our school's dance competition here, and, and," *and oh gosh there he goes with the fake tears,* "and I can't believe my beloved mage won't dance with me! Waaaahhh!"

Himiko huffed. She didn't have a choice, did she? Besides, *no one* wanted to see Miss Chisa mad, so... "Fine! But only because we're partners in the dance show." Kokichi's tears dried up and in an instant he was grinning again. "Hooray! Don't disappoint me, my beloved mage!" he said, grabbing Himiko's arm again and pulling her inside before she could change her mind.

"Hey Asumu! We're here for practice!" A short woman with ross-tinted glasses peeked out from behind a rack of barbells at Kokichi's yell. "Okay then! Just give me a second!" Ms. Asumu navigated the racks to stand in front of them. "How can I help you?"

Kokichi looked annoyed, which was no surprise. He was always annoyed or annoying, one or the other. *Take your pick.* "I just *told* you, we're here to practice for the dance competition! Listen next time I tell you something so important!"

"Ah, of course." Ms. Asumu gave him an amused smile, which Himiko couldn't tell if she was confused or impressed by, and beckoned them over to the stairs. "I've prepared everything for you two already."

Himiko climbed the stairs after Kokichi, glancing past Ms. Asumu to the rest of the gym/dance studio. There appeared to be just a restroom, supply room, and pole dance studio on the second floor. Besides the side door, that was. Ms. Asumu opened it and let Kokichi drag Himiko in.

"Woah!" This was more like the gym at school. Padding covered the floor, as well as most of the wall. Long silks hung from the ceiling, in places that seemed odd unless you knew they were used for silk "dances." "Nyeh, maybe this won't be a huge waste of my time..."

Kokichi grinned at her as Ms. Asumu left. "Of course it won't be! Did you expect anything less than perfection from the Ultimate Supreme Leader?"

"Yes."

Kokichi gasped, fake tears welling in his eyes. "I c-can't believe my beloved mage would be so mean! WAAAAAAH!"

"Kokichi! Stop being such a pain! Nyeh, if you keep doing this I'm leaving!" Kokichi immediently stopped crying, though he still had the nerve to look wounded. "Himiko! You wouldn't!"

Himiko looked him dead in the eye. "I would."

"Wouldn't."

"Would."

"Wouldn't."

"Would."

"Would."

"Wouldn't - argh! Kokichi!" He giggled, and Himiko fumed. "I hate you and your tricks!"

Kokichi plopped his bag down, propping it against the wall for a second before digging through it. "Nishishi! You mean like your magic tricks?"

"They're not tricks! It's *real* magic." Himiko was just about done with this conversation; she could feel her MP draining already. Himiko sat down on the floor mat just as Kokichi said, "Aha!" and pulled some papers out from his bag.

Kokichi shoved the papers in her face. "Here you go! Nishishi!"

"Nyeh...? What're these?" Himiko picked up the papers and glanced at a few. "Song... lyrics?"

Kokichi grinned and nodded vigorously, though there was a glint of something malicious in his eyes. "Wow, you can actually read? I'm impressed!"

Himiko tossed a page at him, and Kokichi yelped, making a big show of falling to the floor in "pain." "Oooohhh noooo! My beloved mage has woooouuuunded meeee!"

Himiko sighed and tossed the papers in a pile next to her, making them even more disorganized than before. "Kokichi, are you gonna just make fun of me, or are we gonna practice? I wanna go home already..."

Kokichi sat up with a surprisingly determined face. "Yes! Those are song lyrics for the song we'll dance to! So chop chop, get to reading! I already memorized all the lyrics, of course," he added with a proud, smug smile.

*You sound like Tsumugi...* Himiko started picking up the pages to put them in order, and didn't notice Kokichi doing the same nest to her until he smacked her with his pile. "Here, done. Now read it, read it!"

...Kokichi was annoyingly excited about her just reading some papers... Himiko brought the papers up to her face, so he couldn't see her reaction. She heard him sigh, and lowered the papers a little so she could read them better.

Deep Blue? That cheesy song? *Nyeh, that's not even the big question here, is it...* "Kokichi...why is this written in comic sans."

She didn't bother making it sound like a question, her mask of unfeeling finally back. Kokichi sighed. "You commoners may laugh, but comic sans is easier for dyslexic people to read!" he said, rolling his eyes.

"I'm not, though..." Kokichi's face was blank for a second before he was giving her that dung-eating grin again. "Um, yeah! I know this? But it's good for those who are! So there!"

As Kokichi pretended to pout, Himiko skimmed through the pages, occasionally stopping to re-read something. "Hey... Himiko, what's up? Could it be," Kokichi fake-gasped, pulling back from her with a shocked face, "could it be that my beloved mage actually likes my song choice?"

Himiko mumbled. "Don't get your hopes up, meanie." She came to the last page, and tapped the papers against the floor to neaten them. "I'm just out of MP, so I can't summon anything right now..."

"Great!" Kokichi shot up, pulling on her arm and forcing Himiko to her feet. "So... Now that that's done, all I have to do is teach you how to dance!"

"Nyeh?!" But it was too late, Kokichi was already skipping over to where (presumably) Ms. Asumu had left speakers and a laptop. *Who trusts Kokichi with this kind of stuff...? Does Ms. Asumu know that grape at all?!*

Meanwhile, Kokichi hummed as he scrolled through the songs he had prepared. "Ah, here we are!" Clicking on one and twirling back to Himiko, he extended a hand to her. "Care to join me in warming up?"

Himiko stared at his arm as the music started to play. "Nyeh... no." Kokichi shrugged, tossing his arms behind his head. "Suit yourself!"

Himiko sat back down to read over the lyrics more properly this time as Kokichi started to go through...*some* sort of routine. Some of it looked like stretches from P.E., some of it was somersaults, vaults, and... "Kokichi, what was that?" Himiko asked as he landed, feet together.

Kokichi gave her an incredulous look, but then his eyes widened and he facepalmed. "You know, I almost forget sometimes that round-offs aren't commonly known things." he chuckled. "Guess I have no choice but to teach you~!"

"Eh...what?"

"Might be best if you try it without your hat or cardigan, though. Trust me, it'll be easier."

"Have you tried it before or something?" Himiko asked with just a hint of teasing as she tossed her cardigan onto her backpack. Kokichi smiled. "Yep! Buuut... that's obviously a lie. It happened to my brother!"

Himiko gave him a blank look. He sighed. "Fiiiiine, I don't have a brother. It happened to my cousin."

*I'm not gonna bother to figure out if that's a lie or not...* Himiko sighed, standing up. "Alright...how do you do a round off..."

Kokichi perked up and walked to an open space on the mat. "Like this!" He stretched his arms up, taking a large step forward and pushing off the floor as he fell. Landing with both feet together, he laughed. "Nishishi! See, it's so simple I bet even that idiot Kaito would be able to do it!"

"Hm..." Himiko gave it a try, but ending up falling on her stomach. "Nyeh!"

Kokichi rolled his eyes and helped her up. "Okay, let's try basic *somersaults* first, since you're so clumsy you... I'm not gonna finish that sentence."

"Huh?... Kokichi! What were you gonna call me?!"

"Anyway, anyway, let's move on!"

"Argh, Kokichi!"

The rest of two hours was spent doing somersaults and some other odd stretches. "Alrighty, then, Himage! You are dismissed, but you gotta read allll the pages I gave you, got it? Or else my organization will kidnap you and *force* you to read them!"

"Yeah, yeah." Himiko said with a sigh. "See you later, Kokichi." It wasn't until she was halfway back to the dorms that it struck her.

"Himage?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I'm really proud of the fact I updated this so fast, but... It'll be a while until the next one; the reason I was able to update so soon was because I already had some of the chapter done when I posted the first chapter. Anyhoo, I'm bad at writing Himiko so you'll have to suffer through that. And remember, kids - don't rape.


	3. Medication Wearing Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I suck at writing mental disorders. Yes, I am trying to learn about them. Yes, if you would like to leave some tips or experiences I would be very glad for them. Yes, it's short.
> 
> And, finally, I'm really sorry if I offend anyone with my bad skills at writing the mental disorder mentioned here. Please, explain to me what I could change. I'd be glad for the input.
> 
> Oh, and Angie's here for once.

Kokichi thought about how his and Himiko's training went on his way back to the dorms. It went well, he supposed, but just stretching and cartwheels? He really hoped Himiko kept her promise about memorizing the lyrics, or they would never be ready on time. Wait, was that a son - no, the title was close but that wasn't - *DAMN IT WHAT WAS I THINKING ABOUT?!*

Kokichi chewed his thumb as he tried to recollect his thoughts. Oh, yeah. He and Himiko had less than a month now to get their routine down pat. Luckily the dance was pretty repetitive - but on the other hand, it was pretty complex during some other parts. And what about when the focus shifts from one person to another? Would Kokichi have to get help from the lighting technicians? Cause that would be annoying in itself.

Well, not annoying. Impossible. Keeping people at arm's length was Kokichi's specialty; who was he to ask favors. No, Kokichi would have to work with whatever he got. Adjusting the straps on his backpack, Kokichi skipped off to check out what the background staff were practicing.

*It's probably just going to be regular, bland, bright lighting everywhere.* Perhaps, perhaps. Kokichi reached the school and went around the side towards the auditorium doors.

*If they do take requests, they're not going to accept one from **you.**  
...Kokichi knew this already. He tried the doors, found them locked, and pulled out his lockpicking supplies. He kept missing the lock the first few times from his mind going elsewhere, but he got it after about ten minutes.

*You're wasting your time.* No, no he wasn't. He couldn't be; Kokichi knew exactly what he was doing. He checked the position of the lights, the stage storage lockers, and the control panel, stopping once or twice to clean up a mess he realized he had distractedly made. *Hm...*

"So, they're gonna do something different with the lights in back from the front lights? Wow, these guys can actually think! I'm impressed!" Kokichi said with a hint of frustration from realizing something.

"Why, thank you!" Kokichi spun around to see Angie, paintbrush and paint cans in hand. "Mm, Angie and the rest of Atua's art club have been here for hours painting things for props! It's been simply divine, nyahaha!"

Kokichi mentally slapped himself for not noticing Angie sooner. "I see... Welp, I've gotta go prank Kaito now, so I'll see you later!" He spun around to leave, but Angie called to him just before he opened the door.

"Atua wants to remind you to take your ADD medication!" Kokichi turned around, fixed Angie with a blank stare, and said, "Yeah, kinda realized I needed to do that a few minutes ago, *hun.*"

Kokichi slammed the door, playing with the straps of his backpack as he walked back to the dorms. Damn Angie and her god. Who was she to intrude on his private life and stick her nose in his business?

Then again, that was what he did often. And - argh, his thoughts were wandering again! Damn Angie all he want, Kokichi really did need to take his medication.

*Stupid dung on a broomstick. I hate being like this.*


	4. Memorization and Kit Kats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Himiko likes Kit Kats, and Kokichi is a pranky boi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You don't know how proud I am to have finished this chapter. In other news, I suck at summaries. But you knew that already, so just go read the chapter.

Himiko tried to read the lyrics, she really did, but... Tenko insisted that Himiko go out hiking with her right after school the next day. The trip drained the rest of her MP... And prevented her from practicing with Kokichi again.

Originally, he had texted her and they planned to practice for a few hours every day, but Tenko didn't seem to get that. Not that Himiko was angry at her friend, of course not! Just that some people need to understand that others can have schedules too.

So instead, Himiko promised Kokichi she would memorize the lyrics by Sunday. Which turned out to be harder than expected, what with her social studies teacher suddenly announcing a project on making countries. Ugh, would Himiko ever be able to just sit down and read?!

*At this point it doesn't even have to be the song, I could be reading Twilight and be happy.* Himiko thought, uncapping a glue stick. She was lying on her - and Tenko's - dorm floor, papers spread out in front of her and newly stapled song lyrics to her right. *After I finish this first part of the poster, I'll stop.*

Or... Himiko sat up and stretched. She could finish this later. Right now, she needed a candy break to restore her MP.

She picked up the lyrics, intending to read them on the way, and left her dorm. She mumbled a spell to lift her mood.

"Hey Himage! Howa doin?" Kokichi suddenly popped up behind her, making Himiko jump and nearly drop her papers. "Ugh, Kokichi..." she muttered. "I'm freaking reading the lyrics, so leave me alone already."

Kokichi rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Well, at least you're keeping your promise and reading them! And don't slack off this time, ya hear?" Himiko nodded, starting to walk again. "Mhm. Sure, Kokichi."

Kokichi smiled as he walked with her - which was a surprise, as normally he would smirk. "I'm glad! You're not like Kaito, you know?"

"And... How's that?" Himiko said almost afraid to ask.

"Not a total idiot!" Kokichi cackled, and, ah yes, there was his signature smirk again. "At least you can rea -"

"Kokichi Ouma!" Himiko looked behind her, and there was the man himself, Kaito Momota. Only, he was wearing... A dress?! "You're going to tell me where you hid my clothes or so help me!"

"Whoops, gotta run my beloved mage! We'll talk later!" Kokichi laughed as he ran off, Kaito jogging after him and holding up his dress. Himiko let out a soft giggle.

Wait. A giggle? Himiko shook her head. Maybe yesterday's hiking trip had actually restored her MP instead of taken it. That was it, right?

...

Himiko realized she had already passed the break room, and doubled back. As she did, she saw Kaede talking with Miu. "Oh, hey Himiko!"

"Hey," Himiko replied. "What're you doing here instead of your lab, Miu?" Miu was know to spend most of the day working away in her talent lab, skipping more classes and pulling more all-nighters than Himiko could count.

Miu huffed and flipped her hair off her shoulder. "Me and Piano "Bae" here are partners for the dance show, and for some reason that means we gotta spend every minute together talking about it."

"Miu, we're dating. We're having lunch."

"Shut up Bakamatsu!" Miu yelled, and Himiko took this opportunity to slide past them and use the vending machine.

Himiko squatted down, checking out the bottom row of the machine and glancing through the song lyrics. For some reason she couldn't really *read* them read them. They just weren't going in her brain.

And it was especially frustrated because Himiko really wished she had enough MP to cast a spell to instantly memorize the lyrics... Himiko was thinking in a loop so hard she didn't hear Ryoma come up behind her. "Hey, Himiko."

Himiko fell back, startled. "Nyeh! Ryoma!"

Ryoma held out a hand to help her up, which Himiko lazily took, and then pulled down his beanie like Shuichi played with his hat. "Sorry bout that. Anyway, did you hear about Kokichi's latest prank on Kaito?"

"The one with the dress and taking all his clothes? Yeah... They ran past me." *Well, Kokichi actually stopped to talk to me first, but it doesn't matter.*

Ryoma nodded, chuckling. "From what I heard, Kokichi took all of Kaito's clothes, including his pyjamas, and left a dress in his closet... Kaito wasn't going to chase after him naked, so..."

"Hm," Himiko said, turning around to look back at the vending machine. "...That -" *yawn,* "- sounds like something Kokichi would do, nyeh."

"...The Kit Kats are B4."

"Nyeh?"

"The Kit Kats. Your favorite candy. They're on B4." Ryoma said. Himiko looked and, yes, there were Kit Kats in spot B4.

Himiko glanced between Ryoma and the candy. "Were...were these always here?" she asked. But, no, they couldn't have been. Himiko remembered remarking to Ryoma back when the break room had first opened that there were no Kit Kats in the vending machine.

"No, but I noticed it yesterday. You were out hiking with Tenko, right?" Himiko nodded lazily. "Well, they switched up some things, apparently. I just managed to catch a janitor as they were leaving."

"Nyeh, I see... As thanks for this information, I will cast a spell that will grant you luck for the next week," Himiko said, inserting the necessary coins and inputting her order into the vending machine. Ryoma chuckled.

"You do that, kid. Have fun with memorizing your lyrics. My name's mentioned in them."

"Nyeh?!" Himiko spun around, Kit Kat in hand, but Ryoma was already gone. "Again?!" *How do you keep disappearing like that?!*

But then the thing that had caught Himiko's attention in the first place sunk in, and she glanced at her papers. Ryoma's name?

...Maybe now she had enough MP to memorize the lyrics.


	5. I Should Listen to Atua More Often

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angie is a concerned sister-friend.
> 
> How do I properly write chapter summaries.

Angie wondered, as Kokichi and Kaito ran past, the latter in a dress, whether Kokichi had taken his medication.

He probably did. Atua said he did. But that didn't stop Angie from worrying, and that worry led to her heading to Kokichi's dorm to wait for him to get back so she could ask him.

It was natural for her to be worried, of course. Angie thought of him as a little brother, having known him for about two years before Hope's Peak. Kokichi may have insisted that they pretend they didn't know each other, but that didn't take away the years of dance classes at Ms. Asumu's gym.

Ms. Asumu. How was she? Atau told Angie she should go meet up with her old teacher, and she agreed. She couldn't right now, though, and that was because a laughing, out of breath Kokichi was heading towards her.

"Nyahaha! Hello Kokichi!" Angie clasped her hands together, and Kokichi's grin grew wider as he saw her.

"Hiya, Angie! Nishishi, did you want me to help you prank that ****** upperclassman again? I have no problem with that, but it'll have to wait until tomorrow, as I'm suuuuper busy!" Kokichi waved his arms for emphasis, and Angie shook her head, still smiling.

"No, Atua told Angie to make sure that Kokichi took his medication." That was a lie worthy of Kokichi. Atua had told her nothing of the sort.

Kokichi's smile dropped as she asked, and Angie could see him check furtively out of the corners of his eyes whether anyone overheard. He opened his mouth, probably to hiss a warning at her to be more careful, but Angie spoke first.

"It is okay; Angie and Atua checked that nobody was around when Angie came here." Kokichi stopped glancing around for other people, but he still looked angry.

"Angie, I have told you how many times now to not talk about it in public!" Kokichi said, and Angie mentally flinched. He was right, but Angie really did check, and -

No, Atua was saying. It was not right of her, just like it wouldn't be right to tell others about... As Angie talked with Atua, Kokichi watched with a dissapointed expression.

*Really? Jeez, Angie.* Unable to stand it anymore after five minutes of Angie muttering to herself and occasionally making gestures, Kokichi cut into her thoughts with an exaggerated groan.

"*Yes,* I took it. You good? Or are you gonna try and get me to make a blood sacrifice to Atua again?" Kokichi studied his nails, feigning an indifferent look. Inside, he was still slightly shaken by Angie's... willingness to talk about *his* medical condition in public.

Angie nodded, humming. "Yep, yep! Atua says that he is glad Kokichi took his -" she cut herself off at Kokichi starting to regain his glare. "Welp! Angie is off again! Nyahahaha; have a great day Kokichi!" She skipped off, and Kokichi sighed, giving her a sarcastic wave as she left.

"See you, paint brain." Kokichi turned to leave as well, and as such didn't hear Angie's giggle.

*By the way, Atua, this is off topic, but I think you were right about Kokichi's crush on Himiko.*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long!


	6. Old Dance Video

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We have finally reached the summary drop!

The next time Himiko and Kokichi met up at Ms. Asumu's gym, she had memorized all the lyrics, and Kokichi had to try hard to hide how impressed he was.

"Woah, Himage was actually able to get though alllll these mean old papers? Wow, and here I thought all you could do was pull a rabbit out of a hat!" Himiko sighed at his words, but didn't argue when Kokichi went on to explain the basics of their routine.

Mind you, he wasn't very good at it.

"Okay, so uh, it's like, uh, very repetitive. But then there are some weird, complex bits, and," and Kokichi gave her jazz hands, and Himiko wasn't sure why, "this reeeaaally cool part where we say some things in English. Though of course, you know that already, assuming that you actually read the lyrics." Kokichi babbled on a bit, but all Himiko could think of was the fact that he gave her jazz hands. *I mean, why the heck? Just for emphasis? Yeah, probably.*

"Hey, Hime! You listenin'?" Himiko jerked her head up, startled to see Kokichi's face not far from her own.

Meanwhile, Kokichi was studying Himiko. She hadn't done this last time they met up...

*Actually,* Kokichi thought, and his frown grew, *she's done something similar throughout the school year... Oh, yeah, he should probably make some snarky comment or she might think he was *actually* concerned for her.

"I know I'm great and all, but next time you think about how glorious I am, do it when we're not talking strategy, m'kay?" Kokichi swung back with a dung-eating grin, and Himiko wanted to hit him.

"Glorious?! Strategy?!" "Yeah, I *am* wonderful, aren't I? But I can't explain a dance worth ****, so I'm just gonna put on some stupid dance vid I made a year or two ago, kay?"

Himiko had no say in the matter, as Kokichi dragged her by the arm over to the computer and brought up a YouTube vid. It took a few minutes, and during this time Himiko watched Kokichi as he struggled with "This stupid freaking wifi." 

It was strange. Kokichi was always calculating his movements, so watching him forget about that and genuinely get frustrated was an odd experience. *I wonder what would've happened if he was like this all the time.*

"Finally!" Kokichi suddenly said, making Himiko jump. "Behold, my beloved mage, as I show you a dance routine I performed not more or less than one year ago this Thursday!" he finished with a flourish. Himiko sighed and pressed play.

Kokichi, in the video, danced... Suprisingly well. *Amazingly* well. He looked so at ease dancing with - was that Angie?! - his partner. Himiko stared at the screen, enthralled, as Kokichi watched her for her reaction.

*Hm, does she enjoy it? Nishishi, if I knew this was all it took to grab her attention, I would have done this months ago!* Kokichi couldn't stop the small smile that quickly made its way onto his face.

When the video finished, Himiko slowly closed the laptop, still staring at it. Kokichi narrowed his eyes and waved a hand in front of her face. "Hey, Himage! What did I say about thinking about my glo -" Kokichi froze at the look on her face.

"Kokichi Ouma." Himiko's face was blank, and for a second Kokichi was almost intimidated by her intense look.

He couldn't drop his facade, though, so instead he laughed. "Yeeess, my beloved mage?" He batted his lashes at her flirtatiously, and as such didn't notice Himiko becoming more and more annoyed.

Kokichi should have recognized the warning signs, because he was completely unprepared for the amount of sheer emotion that would explode from Himiko in mere moments.

"Kokichi! If you had competed in more competitions you could have been the Ultimate - um... Whatever kind of dancer you are, you idiot!"

Kokichi took a step back, and Himiko took one to match him. *Woah. Why didn't I see this coming?*

Wait. He needed to respond. Right. "Personally I like to think it's hard dancing - though I'm not really sure - and who's to say that's not my real talent?"

Kokichi's response only made Himiko groan, but she stepped back. "Nyeh. Really, Kokichi? That's all your going to say? Cause I don't get it anymore."

"Get what?" Kokichi feigned ignorance, but he knew what she was getting at.

Himiko narrowed her eyes and puffed out her cheeks in a pout. Kokichi was glad he rarely blushed right now, cause if he did blush easily his face would probably be - wait. Why would his face be red? Himiko was cute, sure, but not in *that* way.

"Why you stopped dancing. You could have been great, almost as great as my magic... Nyeh, someone must have cast a spell on you to make you lose interest, right?" Himiko mused, forcing Kokichi to focus on her and not his own thoughts. Hm? Sure, Kokichi could go with that.

"Sure, sure. Let's say that." Kokichi sighed. Himiko didn't look one hundred percent satisfied, but Kokichi sure as heck wasn't going to tell her the real reason he stopped dancing and focused on leadership. "Anyway, are we dancing or not? Right now you're boring me, and you know how much I hate boring."

Himiko blinked, looking thoughtful. "Nyeh... Okay." Kokichi quietly let out the breath he had been holding.

"Great! Let's begin!" Kokichi pulled Himiko to the center of the floor, and started with the standing up step used at the beginning of the dance.

*Trust me, Himage! We're gonna dance their socks off!*


	7. I May or May not Have a Crush on Her

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I decided to switch it up and focus on Kirumi and Tenko's relationship! Heehee, trust me, their relationship is more important (to the story) than you think.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've hit a dead end when it comes to inspiration, so the next update might take even longer. I'm sorry! Also sorry about how long this took. I originally planned for the updates to be weekly, but, what can you do am I right?
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

Kirumi sat nearby as Tenko paced the girls' dormitory lobby, waiting anxiously for Himiko to come back. In an attempt to calm the other girl, Kirumi said, "Tenko, she will be alright. Kokichi, while untrustworthy, does not seem like the type to hurt others."

"But he's a degenerate male!" Tenko yelled, and Kirumi sighed. She would remind Tenko to keep her voice down, had the maid not already done that multiple times. So instead, she waited and thought.

Tenko. She should have been great at mastering the dance the two of them were working on, but so far Kirumi had already patched her up from too many bruises and scraped knees for it to be simply too little skill at dancing. Kirumi had required after her health, but Tenko had simply blushed and reassured Kirumi she was fine.

After the first few injuries, Kirumi had kept a closer eye on the other girl. And what she could figure out, Tenko was distracted by something. Or rather, some*one.*

Tenko had a crush. And that was bad news for Kirumi, because she had one on Tenko.

Kirumi pursed her lips as she remembered that unpleasant little fact. Who was it that Tenko liked? ... Most likely, Himiko. Kirumi probably should have paid more attention when the class was assigned partners, as Kirumi might have been able to pick something up then, but she had been tired after helping Angie and Korekiyo clean up after a seance.

"Tenko, please calm down," Kirumi absentmindedly called as Tenko started to look like she was going to kick something again. Tenko jumped, like she hadn't realized she was getting worked up.

"Tenko is sorry! Tenko is just worried about Himiko!" she said, and Kirumi sighed. "I know, Tenko. I know."

Tenko went back to pacing, and Kirumi watched her. Her strength, her dedication... Kirumi acknowledged that Tenko had flaws, but she also knew Tenko was nothing short of breathtaking.

Both literally and figuratively, as Tenko immediately hugged the breath out of Himiko the second she spotted her.

"Himiko! Are you alright? That degenerate male didn't do anything to you, right?" Tenko nearly shouted, remembering just in time to lower her voice, lest she wake anybody up.

"Nyeh... I'm fine, Tenko. Practice just went longer than expected..." Himiko yawned, and Tenko immediantly offered to carry her to her room.

Kirumi smiled as she watched Himiko piggyback on Tenko towards the elevator. Following the two, Kirumi couldn't help but glance at Tenko as she yammered on to Himiko - who had already fallen asleep - about how Kokichi should have realized how late it was getting and what a degenerate male he was. Kirumi also couldn't help the small blush that grew on her face as she imagined Tenko saying those things to her, reassuring her that Tenko would always be there for her.

But what was the point of these thoughts? No, Kirumi was a woman of action, and it couldn't be confirmed that it was Himiko Tenko had a crush on. Kirumi would confess if it was going to be the death of her.

... Whenever that would be. Kirumi still had to figure out how and when she would confess. But as Tenko thanked her profusely for waiting with her and Kirumi tried hard to hide her blush, there was one thing she was sure of.

She had never felt both so sure and terrified about anything else in her entire life.


	8. This Is Why You Carry Glitter Bombs With You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi is slightly confused about his feelings (though he doesn't think about it too much), Himiko has some spunk when she's bored and annoyed, and Korekiyo and Kaede make a bet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahahaha! I'm not dead, peasants! Behold the chapter I had immense trouble with because I forgot how to properly show Kokichi's and Himiko's characters.

The next day was class day. That one weird day of the month Kaede insisted the entire class go out to eat at some sort of restaurant, or check out an aquarium that was having an event, or just chill at the movies or park.

Kokichi secretly loved it. Himiko secretly hated it. They both acted like it was the opposite.

"Kaede, this is boooriiing. Can I go yet?" Kokichi whined after about half an hour of hanging out at the playground (the hang out spot was Angie's insistence - she knew how Kokichi loved going on the swings).

Kaede sighed, putting a hand to her forehead. "Kokichi, not right now. We just got here!"

"Yeah, yeah..." Kokichi said, rolling his eyes and skipping back to the main part of the playground. Kaede, sitting with Shuichi and Korekiyo at a picnic table, turned back to them apologetically.

"Sorry, guys. I know you always say I should just exclude him from these events, but... I just can't! It wouldn't be fair."

"No need to worry," Korekiyo said. "It's Kokichi's fault for being such a pain in the neck."

Shuichi was marveling at how Korekiyo almost sounded completely casual and not casual in his own, "Kiyo," way, but he nodded. He glanced back over at Kaito, wondering if he should go talk to him.

Kaede noticed his glance and gave him a nudge. "Go on, go talk to him! I'm sure he'd love to hang out with you!"

Shuichi blushed and shook his head. "I'm pretty sure he likes Maki... She definitely likes him, at least. And I don't want to just - spring it on him like that, you know? Like, oh hey, wanna hang out? No way. That's... Not me." he sighed.

"Aw, come on Shuichi!" Kaede said, already half-pushing him out of his seat and towards Kaito. "You can do this! I believe in you!"

Shuichi blushed again, gave up trying to stay sitting with Kaede pushing him, and stumbled towards Kaito. "That's the spirit!" Kaede cheered.

"Hm... You have a remarkable talent for encouraging people," Korekiyo commented. Kaede laughed.

"Thanks! I'm not really all that good, though. Just sort of a mom friend, I guess."

Korekiyo nodded thoughtfully. "You know, with how Kirumi is also a 'mom friend,' I admit that I expected her and you to end up as a couple."

Kaede snorted, laughing so hard she hard to lay her head down on the table for a second. "Me and Kirumi? No way! I guess that makes sense, but I've never liked her like that."

"Of course. Pardon me for intruding. By the way, who do you suppose will end up as the next couple?"

"Hm..." Kaede hummed, looking over her classmates. "Probably Tenko and Himiko! It just makes sense to me."

Korekiyo raised an eyebrow. "Tenko with Himiko? Kukuku, though that would be a very interesting relationship, I disagree. It is easy to see that Tenko would prefer to go out with Kirumi."

Kaede's eyes sparkled. "Let's make a bet!" she said, already pulling out some paper to mark their bet with. "I bet you... Ten dollars that Tenko will go out with Himiko!" She held out her hand.

Korekiyo took her hand and shook it decidedly. "I accept that bet." The two of them gave their money, signed the paper, and said, "May the best couple win."

Neither of them noticed that Rantaro was listening, and was smirking to himself as he also had an idea on what the next couple would be.

Meanwhile, Himiko fell off the swings.

*Ugh! That's it!* she thought. She could hear Tenko asking if she was okay, and pushed her away when she ran over.

"I'm fine, Tenko! Jeez... I'm a mage, I can't get hurt from falling off the swings."

"Oh! Of course! ...Er, would Himiko like to come play with Tenko, Angie, and Miu? There aren't any nasty boys allowed to play with us!" Tenko added hastily.

Himiko sighed. "No thanks, Tenko. Just go..." Tenko hesitanted, but nodded and left.

Before Himiko could start swinging again, Kokichi skipped up and sat on the swings next to her. "Hey, Hime! Nishishi, did your maaaagic cause you to fall off the swings?"

"Can it, Kokichi. Or I'll turn you into a frog," Himiko said, and she almost enjoyed seeing the grin melt off his face. She was in just too bad of a mood right now to be bothered.

Kokichi studied her. Normally he would keep joking around, but... Maybe he shouldn't add insult to injury.

"Okie dokie then! Hey, Hime! You wanna go home, right? Cause I have this glitter bomb I wanna use, and it'd be more than a good enough distraction, don't you think?" Where had that come from? It was genius! Cheer up Himiko by letting her slip away, and pull an awesome prank at the same time! Pure genius!

...Why did he care so much about Himiko's happiness again?

Himiko yawned. "Nyeh... Once in a lifetime opportunity, right?"

"Nishishi! Yep! And is my beloved mage implying what I think she's implying?~"

Himiko gave Kokichi a small, cheeky grin. "Go for it. But don't think I'll be giving you Panta for this."

Kokichi smirked and jumped off the swing with a flourish. "Your wish is my command!"

The class day ended within the next ten minutes.


	9. Three Crushes, Two People, and One Shocking Realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi is a confoozled boi figuring out his emotions properly. Meanwhile, Kaito has crushes on both of his sidekicks.

Kokichi needed advice. He also needed a break from leading D.I.C.E. So he went to Ms. Asumu.

During lunchtime, but that was irrelevant.

"It's so *weird!* Himiko suprises me so often when she just - does stuff, you know? Usually she's so lazy!" Kokichi waved an arm for emphasis, currently sitting nearby as Ms. Asumu did maintenance on one of the gym's machines.

"Hm..." she murmured, prompting Kokichi to continue.

"And it's almost like... I dunno. She's one of my subordinates? She's sort of a friend. I still annoy her and stuff, but I also find myself doing stuff for her! It's just plain weird!" 

Kokichi continued talking, and Ms. Asumu put a hand over her eyes, filled with nothing but exasperated amusement at Kokichi's ignorance.

"So then..."

\---

Kaito walked along the old hiking trail Rantaro discovered a few days earlier, munching a sandwich he brought as he did. Shuichi and Maki offered to go with him - or, rather, Shuichi offered and Maki muttered that he was an idiot and shouldn't go alone - but Kaito refused, saying they should stay cause he'd be back in just a second.

Really, all he needed was a second alone. A second to figure out what he should do about his two crushes on both of his sidekicks.

Shuichi was so sweet, and Kaito loved him softly - is that a thing? But in every shy smile, sudden burst of determination, and unwavering dedication to his newest case, Kaito fell for Shuichi even more. His feelings for Shuichi were like twilight stars and a full moon.

Maki, on the other hand... Maki was a friendly rival, someone he could fiercely compete against and go out for ice cream with later. She was strong and steadfast, and Kaito could easily see himself in a relationship with her. The feelings Kaito had for Maki were like a supernova.

*++++. What the hell do I do?*

\---

Kokichi swung his legs, sitting on a desk chair while he waited for Ms. Asumu to return from the restroom. Checking the clock on the far wall, he could see that he had just less than a half hour before he had to leave.

It was difficult to get his point across, but luckily Ms. Asumu was patient and Kokichi knew he could trust her. Actually, that reminded him. He hadn't lied lately, had he? Weird.

*I should probably lie to someone when I get back. Can't have them thinking I trust them or anything!* "Nishishi!" Kokichi pushed off the desk to make the chair spin, and his thoughts absently returned to Himiko.

*That mage! We gotta practice today again! You know, I'm doing well with our routine for someone who hasn't danced since making that old video!* Kokichi slowed the chair to a stop, smiling to himself as he remembered dancing with Angie back then. But his organization came first! D.I.C.E. first, dancing second.

... Plus was the fact that he couldn't take dance lessons anymore, no matter how much Ms. Asumu said it was okay. 

*I don't want her pity. My parents won't pay for my lessons, then I won't take them.* Kokichi sat up as he heard the door open, and grinned as Ms. Asumu returned, already starting to talk about Himiko again.

\---

Kaito sighed as he checked his watch and realized he needed to turn back. He still didn't have an answer to his problem, and that was frustrating.

*Wait, did I even think about their feelings? Do either of them even like me back?*

That was a worrying thought, but Kaito tried not to follow the negative feelings too much, focusing on the problem at hand. Well, if he was thinking optimistically, two crushes meant twice as likely to end up with someone, right?

Unless neither of them like him like that. Did Shuichi or Maki even like boys?

Shuichi always blushed and looked away whenever the topic of sexuality came up (which was rarely, Kaito had to admit), and Maki never talked about it. Kaito knew he was bi, heck his two crushes confirmed that, but his sidekicks...

A raindrop fell on his face, and Kaito sped up walking towards the school. His crushes could wait until he was out of the rain.

\---

"Right, so that's about it! Unless I was lying, nishishi! After all, I could have been lying to you about everything!"

Kokichi finally finished talking to Ms. Asumu, with only minutes to spare before he had to head back if he wanted to get back to school in time for his next class. He jiggled his leg, awaiting her verdict.

Ms. Asumu sighed, standing up from the machine she was working on and giving Kokichi a deadpan look.

"That's called a crush, Kokichi."

"WHAT?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aha... AHAHAHAH! THIS IS ENOUGH FORESHADOWING, RIGHT?! MORE IN LATER CHAPTERS? YOU GOT IT! I HAVE HAD THIS CRAZY REVEAL IN MY HEAD FOR A WHILE AND YOU CAN GUESS IT IF YOU WANT!
> 
> Hehehehe I shouldn't be up at midnight working on a freaking long fic, should I? I'm starting to go a little crazy! But then, I always am when I stay up late! So you know what, just take the chapter, guess the reveal, and I'll see you again when I'm hopefully more sane! See ya!


	10. Forgotten Papers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi starts to suspect something may be up with Himiko... And I, the author, successfully pull off my first proper cliffhanger.

When Himiko next showed up for dance practice, Kokichi was tangled in the silks hanging from the ceiling.

"Don't you even dare ask," he said as Himiko stared. He twisted and wriggled, trying to get out while Himiko stared to giggle softly, and glared harshly at her before he grinned widely.

"You wanna see my kind of magic?" Before she could respond, he continued. "Ah, but that's just a lie. There's no such thing as magic." As he said that, Kokichi pulled out a single silk from the tangle he was in and fell to the floor, all silks free and quickly sliding back to their original positions.

Stumbling a bit as he stood up, Kokichi threw his hands out to the side and said, "Ta da!" He seemed still shaken, but Himiko mocked clapped for him for a few seconds anyway. She wasn't sure why, but it seemed like the right thing to do - and being with Kokichi gave her an odd amount of motivation to do things her normally lazy self wouldn't do.

"Wow, that's - uh oh," Himiko suddenly said, diving in her backpack. "Shoot, shoot, shoot," she muttered under her breath."

Kokichi bounced up to her, the barest amount of concern showing on his face. "Hm? Himage, were you gonna propose and forgot the ring? We're not even dating, silly!"

Himiko looked up when Kokichi started teasing her, but forced herself to pay attention to the problem at hand. "Nyeh... No, I forgot the lyrics... Sorry..."

Kokichi put a finger on his chin, thinking. After a moment of staring blankly at her he replied, "Boy, is Himage forgetful!" He said it teasingly, but inwardly he wondered about something. "Don't worry, my beloved, I printed out lots of copies! Nishishi, but that's a lie. Just don't forget them next time, okay? Or I'll be forced to -"

"Set your organization on me?" Himiko finished for him. Kokichi nodded eagerly.

"Yep! My beloved knows me so well, I might faint!" Pretending to swoon, Kokichi spun around and fell back towards Himiko. "Catch me, my beloved!"

Himiko would have, but she was more concerned with re-checking her backpack, so Kokichi fell on the floor.

"Oof!" Kokichi exclaimed as his head hit the ground. *Ow... At least it's not something like falling through a floorboard! I wonder why Himiko didn't hear me, though...* A sinking feeling, similar to the one Kokichi had when he realized he forgot to take his medication, started to settle in his stomach.

"Nyeh? Kokichi? Why are you on the floor?" Ah, Himiko was paying attention again. Kokichi grinned, making something up on the spot so she wouldn't worry.

"Aw, I was hoping Himage would think I was put under a sleeping spell only true love's kiss could break! Oh well!" Kokichi quickly got back up, brushing dust off his uniform with one hand as he put a finger to his lips with the other. "You know, I wonder if you can cast a spell to dance really well!"

Himiko puffed out her chest, glad for the chance to brag about her magic, even if she didn't trust that Kokichi was telling the truth about why he was on the floor. "Of course I can! I'm the Ultimate Mage, after all!"

"Nishishi, if you're sure~... Let's see how far your 'magic' will get you in warm-ups, shall we~...?"

Himiko's energetic mood quickly disappeared as they started dancing, and once or twice Kokichi had to call her attention back to the task at hand, but overall they did pretty well. The dance was coming along, and despite Himiko's forgetfulness she knew the song decently well... There was only one problem Kokichi could think of as he waved goodbye to her after practice.

*There's something about Himiko... That's not related to my crush, shut up inner Ms. Asumu. There's something about her, and I'm gonna figure out what! I swear on my title!* Kokichi gave a nod, and set out for home.

And thus had no idea that currently, Kaito was talking with Shuichi and Maki about their sexuality.


	11. Chapter Title: Don't Talk About Sexuality When You Have a Crush On Both Your Friends - A Memoir by Kaito Momota

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaito tries his best to be subtle, and fails. Maki and Shuichi have a talk, Shuichi's detective skills failing him in his flustered state. Oh, and I guess Kiibo falls down some stairs. That's brushed aside, though.
> 
> Not as chaotic as this summary would suggest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I usually update on Friday but I was trying to make this chapter slightly longer than the past few ones have been. I think I failed.

"Hey, guys, uh, what kinds of people are you attracted to? Or, you know, do you have anybody you like?"

Maki and Shuichi both spat out their drink, and Kaito tried to keep down a blush as they look at him incrediously. He hadn't meant the question to come out that way, but to be honest Kaito wasn't the most subtle of people.

"What?!" Maki exclaimed, and Kaito licked his lips and tried to make his next words sound offhand.

"See, I have a crush -" did Maki and Shuichi just share a glance? "- and I was wondering if you guys liked anyone too."

A minute of strained silence. Then, "Ah, one moment please, Kaito," and Shuichi and Maki were leaving to room, probably to talk about what he just said.

Kaito groaned and rubbed his forehead. Damn it, did he mess up? He probably did. At first, the three of them were just hanging out after school, talking and drinking soda, and then Kaito had to go and spring the news he had a crush on them.

Well, two crushes, but Maki and Shuichi didn't know that. *Ugh, I might actually be an idiot, huh? Turns out Kokichi was telling the truth.* Kaito frowned as he pondered what to do now.

Meanwhile, Maki and Shuichi had realized both of them had a crush on Kaito, and were debating what to do.

"Shuichi. Do you want to die? We can't both tell him we like him, then he's gonna have to choose."

"I'm not good at lying, Maki! What do you suggest we do?!"

Maki sighed and walked over to plop down in a chair. God, did she wish she was back at her own apartment, and not hanging out with these idiots at Kaito's dorm. "I don't know, Shuichi. You're the detective, you think of something."

"Ah..." Shuichi put a finger up to his chin, choosing to ignore the hostility in Maki's voice in favor of finding a solution. "Maybe we could say we like someone, and not mention that it's him? Or get him to open up about who it is he likes?"

Maki's eyes narrowed, and Shuichi continued. "He brought something similar up once before, remember? I think it was on International Coming Out Day, when someone came in to talk about the LGBT community and... stuff," Shuichi finished lamely.

"... Maybe," Maki said, and Shuichi nearly did another spit take.

"What?!" he shouted, and quieted himself down at Maki's glare. "Sorry, sorry... It's just, we don't often agree on things."

Maki snorted and looked away. "Anyway, what you said could work. We have to drop some hints, though, or that idiot will never tell us who it is."

Shuichi nodded, and walked back into the dorm along with Maki. "Hey again, Kaito! Sorry, about that," Shuichi called, purposely leaving out *why* he and Maki left the room.

Kaito looked up as they entered, a grin replacing the scowl he had just been wearing. "Great! Uh..." He looked away for a moment before glancing back at them. "Sorry for springing that on you. You guys wanna change the subject?"

Maki shared another glance with Shuichi, making Kaito wonder if they were going to leave again, but Shuichi just nodded and said, "Sure. That'd be great."

So Maki and Shuichi sat next to Kaito again, all three pointedly ignoring the awkwardness.

Meanwhile, Kiibo fell down some stairs and Gonta accidentally released some very energetic moths, but, you know, all in a day's work for the Ultimates of the 78th or whatever it was class, right?

Right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys sorry if this sounds selfish or whatever but I've been thinking about discontinuing this fic and comments are just about the only thing keeping me going so please comment.


	12. Many Worldviews

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of what happened at the end of the last chapter. Also a confession. Alternatively named: The Chapter Where I Try Using HTML Codes to Make Proper Italics.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll change the tags back to asterisks if this doesn't work. Also, as I have just now discovered, I really should go back and edit some more details in, but I'll do that later, when I'm not just really happy I finished the chapter that's been sitting in my writing folders for a few months. Enjoy!

Kokichi sighed as he watched Miu fix up Kiibo, currently waiting in her lab until she was done so he could show her some blueprints. "Hey! How much longer is this gonna take?!"

"Quit your whining, pip squeak!" Miu groaned, not even looking up from her work. "You're gonna make me lose focus, and then, just for that, I'm gonna make you wait even longer for your stupid blueprints to be gazed upon by my gorgeous eyes."

"Yeah, yeah." Kokichi rolled his eyes, but leaned back in his stool and watched Miu silently for a few minutes. No point in pissing off the already stressed person he needed to ask a favor of.

Unless, of course... _No, brain. We are not pulling a prank in order to get Miu to pay attention to us quicker. That ended horribly last time._

Kokichi mused briefly on the incident, but his thoughts turned to Himiko for some reason. Jeez, maybe Ms. Asumu was right, and he actually had a crush. 

... Who was he kidding. He definitely had a crush.

Whenever he thought of her he wanted to smile. And seeing her, teasing her, _being_ with Himiko made him surprisingly happy. A warm feeling spread inside his chest whenever he saw her happy. He wanted her to stay happy, forever. And he'd do whatever he could to make that happen, even give up his lies!

...

Too bad Kokichi didn't know how to give up his lies, let alone make Himiko happy.

"Hey, shota! You listening? I told you I was finished." Kokichi looked up to see Miu in his face and Kiibo preparing to leave.

"Nishishi! As if anyone would listen to a hog face like you." Ooh, that was a good one. Miu whimpered predictably at my words, and Kokichi slid off the tall stool he had been sitting on. "You're gonna look at my blueprints now, riiiight? You know, someone as stupid as you should be glad I'm bothering to show you these."

"Eeeeep! Y-yes, of course!" Miu clumsily grabbed the blueprints and draped them over the work table she'd previously been working on Kiibo on. "J-just hold your horses and let my gorgeous brain do the rest!"

Kokichi sighed inwardly and rolled his eyes as Miu's confidence returned. _This is taking too long. I'm going to go see what everyone else is doing._ Kokichi strode towards the door, waving a hand over his shoulder at Miu. "See you later, peasant! You're boring me, so I'm gonna leave and find someone not boring to hang out with. Don't die of despair while I'm away!" Kokichi called as he skipped out the door of Miu's lab.

The door swung shut, and Miu grumbled as she went back to work.

—

Maki knew exactly what to do to "gain Kaito's love" or whatever.

That's what people usually did in this stupid romcom situations, right? Give gifts? Chocolates? Maki frowned and stuffed the chocolate back into her bag. Both seemed a little excessive, and almost seemed like a confession gift... Maki pushed those thoughts away and walked down the hall to where she knew Kaito would be at this time.

Only to see Shuichi there first.

Maki didn't move for a few minutes as she watched Shuichi make a flustered - but admittedly cute - mess of himself trying to talk to Kaito. It'd been that way for a few weeks, and honestly Maki was embarrassed she hadn't figured out Shuichi had a crush on Kaito too. Maki took a deep breath and strode towards them.

"Ah -" Shuichi said upon spotting Maki. "Hello Maki!"

His demeanor was calm, but his eyes screamed "help." Maki's mouth twitched into a teasing smile before giving Shuichi a nod, allowing the detective to slide away as she came up to Kaito.

"Hey, Maki Roll!" Kaito said, grinning. "What's up?"

Maki breathed in slowly, calming herself as she felt a blush form on her cheeks. "I... Wanted to give you this," she said, handing him the Cosmic Blanket she asked Tsumugi to make. "You like space and stuff, so... I thought I might get you that." She played with her bow as she spoke.

Kaito beamed, if possible, even wider. He swiftly took the Cosmic Blanket and looked it over, enthralled. "Wow, thank you, Maki Roll! This is great! Say, this gives me an idea! You wanna have a sleepover sometime over the weekend with me and Shuichi?"

Maki's fingers stilled from where they were fumbling with her bow. "R-really? I... I'd love to, thanks Kaito," Maki finished with a small smile. Her hands fell from her bow.

"Great! I'll see you in math class!" Kaito said, tossing the blanket over his shoulder and heading to his next class. Maki gave a nod as he left, and as soon as he was out of sight she let her face become bright red.

It wasn't a date, but Maki could dream, right?

—

Shuichi knew exactly what Maki's plan was as soon as he saw the Cosmic Blanket.

The only problem was, he wasn't very original, so the best way to go about retaliating in the "love war" he and Maki had, was, of course, to ask Kokichi for gift advice.

"I'm sorry, what?" Kokichi looked at him like he was crazy, which he honestly might be, in retrospect. "You're going to _me_ for relationship advice?! You are, you know, aware I'm the biggest liar this side of the Pacific Ocean? You in there, Shuichi?" he mocked, rapping a fast against Shuichi's head.

Shuichi sighed and pulled Kokichi's hand off of him. "I know, okay? But you're usually good at figuring out this sort of stuff, so... Can you please help me?"

Kokichi raised an eyebrow, and Shuichi knew he was holding back a comment like "Wow, Shuichi's begging me for something? I knew you'd come around to accepting me as your leader." "Shuichi, don't you think you should be doing this yourself? _You're_ the detective here. Figure it out yourself."

Kokichi rolled his eyes and made to step away from the conversation, but Shuichi caught his wrist. "W-wait!"

Kokichi gave him a deadpan expression. Shuichi let go of his wrist.

"Look... I need your help, okay? Maki's doing the same thing, and, well, if I don't... Do anything..."

"He'll fall in love with Maki, is that what you're saying?" Kokichi asked, still looking annoyed, and Shuichi nodded. Shuichi stared at the ground, embarrassed, and his head snapped up at the sound of Kokichi snorting in dry amusement.

"You're an idiot, Shuichi," Kokichi said, and Shuichi thought for a moment about what that could mean before Kokichi reached into his bag and pulled out a milk puzzle. "Give this to him. The space idiot probably loves stupid things like this."

Kokichi shoved the puzzle into Shuichi's hands before walking off, back to what he was doing when Shuichi interrupted him, and Shuichi stared down at the milk puzzle in his arms with only one question.

_Does Kokichi carry that everywhere?_

—

Kokichi paused when he left the school, walking though the courtyard. As he passed by some flowers Gonta planted last week, he looked up at the turning-green trees, and thought about Shuichi's, Maki's, and Kaito's predicament. He chuckled; those three were so oblivious!

... That train of thought brought him back to his own crush, and Kokichi frowned. He really _did_ like Himiko, didn't he? He almost trusted her, and liked being with her... He was seventy percent sure this wasn't just liking her as a friend. Kokichi's face turned red as he pondered on what would happen if he told Himiko about his crush on her - kisses and dates and cuddles and uggggggghhhhhhh, he really, really liked her.

Kokichi poured out his heart to himself. He wanted that with Himiko. He wanted to trust her, and be trusted, and go on dates and share loving kisses _AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH I LOVE HER SO MUCH!! WHAT THE HELL?!_

"Ugh," Kokichi said, but ss he got out of the treeline, Kokichi saw Himiko sitting alone with her lunch. Maybe, maybe! -

Kokichi sighed, pulled up some courage, and jogged over to Himiko with a plan in mind.

—

Himiko sat outside the school with a bento box, having finally gotten to take a shower after helping Gonta put away his moths. She shivered at the memory - admittedly, the moths weren't as bad as some other bugs Gonta had, but they were very energetic - and looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps.

It was Kokichi. "Hey Himage! Whatcha up to?"

Himiko sighed and looked back down at her bento box. "Just eating lunch... what's up, Kokichi?"

Kokichi grinned as he plopped down next to her. "What's this? Himage actually greeting me for once? Not saying something like 'What do you want, you jerk?'" Himiko would have protested that last bit, but Kokichi continued before she could. "But really? You're sitting out here all alone? Whatever happened to that aikido master following you everywhere like a loyal puppy?"

Himiko sighed. "Nyeh, she's still helping Gonta," she said, reflecting on how Tenko had insisted Himiko go on to lunch without her and she'd catch up. "Did you need something?"

Kokichi looked at her oddly, and Himiko wondered what that look could mean. _Knowing Kokichi... Probably anything._

"Say, Himage..." Kokichi started, and Himiko perked up, "do you...ugh, wanna go stargazing with me this weekend?"

 _What?!_ Himiko thought incrediously. Was Kokichi asking her out on a date?! Kokichi looked embarrassed, cheeks tinted red and pointedly not looking at Himiko. "Nyeh -"

"You know what nevermind!" Kokichi said, standing up quickly and his face even more red. "See you later Himage!"

"Wait -" Himiko called, but he'd already left. After a moment of staring at where'd he'd run off too, Himiko slowly turned to look back down at her bento box.

And her face turned red from a romantic realization.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your comments give me life. Also sorry for not writing for so long, I had a terrible case of writer's block. Proud to say I'm over that now, though! As always, expect irregular updates, and have a great day!
> 
> +++
> 
> Hey, this is an edit. Unfortunately, this fic will probably be abandoned or rewritten.
> 
> I just?? Don't like where it's gone and want to try again?? I'm really sorry, guys.
> 
> You might see the once in a blue moon update for this particular fic, but mostly it will either be rewritten or lost forever. Again, I'm really sorry.
> 
> I hope you all have a great day.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not gonna update this regularly. Probably never update anything regularly. But, hey. It's a thingy. And it's an Oumeno thingy, which is what really counts (I'm joking, of course).
> 
> Oh, yeah! This was inspired by a(n MMD) music video on YouTube with the song Deep Blue. Just wanted to let you know. Have a great day!


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